Category Archives: Under $30

Quick Sips

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EastDell Estates Black Cab Ontario VQA 2009

Opened on December 29, 2010. A blend of Baco Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. I haven’t had too many good examples of Baco Noir, and this wine basically confirmed that I will probably never be a fan of the grape, which is a hybrid variety.

Most wines you see on store shelves, particularly European wines that only allow specific grapes, are made of vitis vinifera varieties only – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are popular examples.

Today Baco Noir and other hybrid wine grapes (those bred between vitis vinifera and other species; Vidal and Maréchal Foch among the most widely known) are generally grown in North America, where their hardiness copes well with the extreme northern climates and potential vineyard diseases, and local regulations allow for wine to be produced commercially out of these grapes.

It is said that non-vitis vinifera grapes tend to produce wines of a “foxy” aroma and palate, which can be a unique characteristic. Unfortunately, the trait doesn’t appeal to me at all, and is exactly what I detected out of this bottle of EastDell Black Cab.

However, this wine is also quite typical for the varietals and region, with its cool climate greenness on the nose and palate, and so for the sake of education is probably worth a try.

Unavailable in British Columbia, as far as I know, but if you have a friend returning from Ontario, get them to bring a bottle home for you.

Deep ruby purple in the glass, this wine exudes youthful black fruits, berries, currants and red fruits on the nose which is veiled by a slightly musky or skunky tone. The palate is dry, with ample acidity, low tannins and a fairly light body that carries youthful, green flavours of sour cherry, unripe berries, herbs, asparagus and hints of metal and oak that finish short. Drink now and forever hold your peace. $13 in Ontario.

Dirty Laundry “Naughty” Chardonnay BC VQA 2007

I got this a couple of summers ago while driving through Summerland. I recommend visiting the winery if you get a chance, it’s one of the more idyllic cottagey shops in the area and has a nice tasting bar. The people working there are really nice and also have good knowledge of the winery’s history as well as that of the locale.

Rich citrus, ripe apple verging on stone fruit aromas with hints of biscuit combine in the mouth to form a juicy, ripe palate with a clean finish. Easy drinking, approachable Chardonnay with just the slightest touch of oak aging. $25

HenkellSeed

This elegant sparkling cocktail was concocted by me, but derives its crazy moniker from the brain of Sean Minogue.

I served this and the Naughty Chardonnay at a holiday dinner with the family, and was pleasantly surprised at how quaffable the former was as an apéritif.

The recipe is simple, and serves up to 8 per 750 ml bottle (by the way, Henkell Rosé is around $15):

  • In chilled champagne flutes, add half a handful of pomegranate seeds and a slice of ruby grapefruit, lemon or lime. (The lemon lookalike slices you see pictured are actually slices of sweet lime, which I found at Thrifty Foods one day, and yes, walk and talk like a duck, but smell and taste floral and soapy.)
  • (You may choose to add a squirt of simple syrup at this time, but I like my drinks dry.)
  • Top up with chilled Henkell Rosé or any other pink bubbly and serve. You could also use a combination of rosé wine followed by sparkling water but that’s up to you.

Riesling: Not Just for Schnitzel & Giggles

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… although my favourite white grape sure does often make me smile, like it did tonight!

I’m fairly self-aware that I am probably preaching to the choir of Riesling lovers everywhere, and possibly regurgitating the same ol’ rhetoric used by said fans – but at the same time, I also know that it’s precisely because of the somewhat inspirational effect that superior quality Riesling has on those who love a fine wine that I love the king of white grapes.

I can’t help waxing poetic about a great Riesling – the experience just begs to be shared!

Riesling holds a tenuous reputation within the spectrum of wine consumers. It is both the grape attributed to many an undrinkable bottle of watery mainstream plonk as well as the main ingredient of a small collection of the world’s most supreme, complex and transcendent examples of white wine.

High in natural acidity, unmatchable in its range of aromatics and very engaging with the land it is planted to, quality Riesling is one of the best grapes through which to fully experience that loaded, often misused wine term: terroir.

This chameleonic, characterful grape is capable of evoking everything – from the austere to the exotic, from bone dry to molasses sweet, from stony to steely to green to orchard to floral to tropical to oily to gassy to mushrooms – you name it, Riesling’s got it all in spades.

Tonight at my WSET Advanced class I tasted a couple of very worthy wines that instantly lifted my mood and got me grinning so wide I had to blog about them.

I hope these pique your interest in Riesling as much as they excited my tastebuds!

Tasting Notes

Bischölfliches Riesling Spätlese Ayler Kupp Mosel Prädikatswein 2008

I’ll spare you the German lesson… Here’s the Cole’s Notes version of the wine’s name:

  • Bischölfliches = producer
  • Riesling Spätlese = Riesling picked at the Spätlese sugar level (4th highest in a range of six; typically indicates late harvest)
  • Ayler = belonging to the township of Ayl
  • Kupp = the single vineyard site or Einzellage of Kupp
  • Mosel Prädikatswein = made in the superior quality region of Mosel (formerly known as Mosel-Saar-Ruwer; Ayler Kupp is actually located in the Saar part of this riverside region)

Pale lemon green in colour, with fairly intense, youthful aromas of wet rocks, chalk, white flowers, citrus peel, grapefruit juice and limes. Medium-sweet on the palate with a strong backbone of acidity and fairly light in body, the wine showed fragrant aromas of juicy citrus, apple, pear, rose petals, minerals, more lime and a hint of petrol. The finish is long and delicious. Quite low in alcohol at 9% a.b.v.

All in all, a superb wine that is amazing for the price and can be cellared for the medium term, where it will improve and gain even more complexity over time. I’m told the 2007 (same price) is even tastier! $30

For a food pairing, I’d recommend a fresh, coconutty Thai curry sauce, served over fresh spot prawns and fragrant Basmati rice. Also, you could never go wrong with a platter of fresh fruit, cheeses and quince paste.

Schloss Schönborn Riesling Spätlese Erbacher Marcobrunn Rheingau Prädikatswein 2008

Cole’s Notes:

  • Schloss Schönborn = the estate of Schönborn
  • Riesling Spätlese = see above
  • Erbacher = from the township of Erbach
  • Marcobrunn = the single vineyard or Einzellage of Marcobrunn
  • Rheingau Prädikatswein = made in the superior quality region of Rheingau

Light yellow in colour, a fantastic, intense bouquet of citrus, orchard fruits, tropical fruits, musky honey, apricot and soft spice aromas greets the nose. The medium-bodied palate is medium-sweet with a clean, refreshing undertone of acidity, meanwhile dazzling the tongue with a complex range of flavours including ripe, juicy apple, pear, peach, apricot, honey, some citrus and hints of baking spices. The taste lingers on forever on the incredible finish.

Outstanding already and will continue to get better with up to 10 years of further bottle aging. 9.5% a.b.v. What a treat it was to taste this. $50

Food pairing: Try chicken or fish korma, a mildly spiced, sweetish Indian curry that contains raisins and coconut cream; or perhaps a baked Dungeness (or Alaskan King) crab dish, very lightly seasoned if at all.

[Ed.: I typically write brief personal remarks in the margins of my WSET notebook during the tasting portion, apart from my formal notes. The Bischölfliches Spätlese above I had labelled as "YUM"... My footnote on the following Schloss Schönborn wine was "YUM!!!"]

Summertime and the Living is Easy, Part Two

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This summer, my cup, or rather my wine glass, runneth over with incredible wines!

Here’s a quick glance at some of the major “vinelights” from July, August and early September. Listed in order of appearance in my glass.

Burrowing Owl Meritage 2006, South Okanagan

Meritage (rhymes with heritage) is the semi-official term for North American red blends made with traditional Bordeaux varietals. I acquired this bottle with Sean on our BC winery road trip last summer. This deep ruby-purple gem from the Black Sage area of South Okanagan exudes aromas of black and blue fruits, oak, tobacco, mint and coffee. It was lean and powerful, with good depth of fruit, some mouth-cooling mint flavours, fine tannins and a long finish. I would have liked to hang on to it for another year or two, but it was Sean’s birthday wine of choice, and in any case it was still delicious. I made a really nice zucchini and goat’s cheese whole wheat pizza with roasted garlic that night, which was a terrific appetizer. $45 at the winery.

Green Truck Organic Zinfandel 2008, Mendocino County

This organic line extension of the Red Truck wine brand was pretty good for its type: Ripe and plummy with notes of raspberry jam, this was typical mainstream California zinfandel that will match a wide variety of foods. Perfect for hostess gifts and potlucks. I received this as a gift but estimate this to be around $15 – 18.

Palo Alto Reserva 2008 DO Maule Valley, Chile

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère and Syrah. Deep purple-black in colour, with aromas of black fruits, spice and oak on the nose. A full-bodied, mouthcoating wine with flavours of ripe plum, cassis, oak and baking spice. A bit bold, ripe and intense for me as a summer wine, but perhaps will fare better in winter with stews and roasts. $14

Howling Bluff Pinot Noir 2006, Naramata

This was my birthday wine! Also purchased Summer 2009 during my and Sean’s winery road trip – we actually stayed at Howling Bluff’s bed and breakfast for a couple of nights. I cooked a fantastic meal (see below) to pair specially with this wine, and am pleased to say everything tasted great together. The wine was showing well, although more intense and less earthy than I had remembered. Dark cherry aromas with notes of cocoa, white pepper dust, earth and cool oak on the nose, with similar flavours and oaky tannins on the palate that lingered right on through the finish. A medium-plus-bodied, classic New World Pinot that I think will improve in the bottle for up to 3 – 4 more years. Good thing I still have another bottle! $30 at the winery.

Heirloom tomato salad with escarole and mixed sprouted beans, basic lemon / balsamic / grapeseed oil vinaigrette

Belgian endive topped with Gorgonzola, walnut, Oculus cherry and caramelized shallot marmalade

Mushroom & herb risotto, caramelized shallot marmalade

Montes Classic Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 DO Colchagua Valley, Chile

I see a white cork and I want it painted black...

Check out the blackness of the cork! This was a forgotten bottle that was stored in my parents’ house for a few years until I pulled it out late August for some experimental, adventurous sipping. I don’t have too much experience drinking aged wines from my personal cellar (any bottles of mine that need time are still hidden away for future drinking), so, apart from a Dr. Loosen Urziger Wurtzgarten Riesling Spätlese 2005 that I opened the Mother’s Day before last (heavenly), this is a first for me in terms of reds. The Montes Classic Series is by no means a premium wine (the winery has higher-tier lines including the iconic Purple Angel), so it was also an experiment in tasting cellar potential in a less expensive wine.

Happily, this did not disappoint. What would have been racy acid and strong tannins in the wine’s early days now translated to smooth drinking in the glass, five years later. Elegant flavours of black fruits, cassis, plum, pipe tobacco and chocolate combined with an almost milky texture for a pleasantly subtle example of Cabernet. $15

Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais-Villages 2009

There has been so much hype on the 2009 vintage in Beaujolais that I simply had to get this bottle when I saw it on the shelf at my local store. I’m just gaining appreciation for the subtleties of Gamay now – Beaujolais’ trademark red varietal is typically light and fruity, which can often be misunderstood for “unseriousness”. Rather, in the best examples such as Cru Beaujolais, the wine is enhanced by undertones of mineral (of which there is a wide spectrum), earth and floral or herbaceous notes, all of which aren’t overshadowed by harsh tannins that can sometimes get in the way of good wine. Beaujolais are super easy-drinking wines that pair perfectly with light, healthy cooking like we enjoy here on the West Coast.

This Beaujolais-Villages was so fruity and delicious, I’m tempted to trade up and search for 2009s from smaller domaines. Bright purple in colour, the wine offered juicy berry and Kool-Aid aromas with notes of granite and flowers. On the palate, it was a medium-minus-bodied wine with low tannins, refreshing acidity, more of that juicy, almost sweet fruit character and some complex minerality beneath. Enjoy this while you can, because (a) it won’t last long on the shelves, and (b) it’s best served young. Open it as soon as you get it! I like my Beaujolais slightly chilled to maximize on the tasty juiciness. $17

Illuminati Riparosso Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC 2008

Dark, handsome and brooding, just like Ryo Saeba, City Hunter.

The other wine region (or country, really) that I’ve really begun sinking my teeth into is Italy. There are so many unique wines made from innumerable indigenous varieties, all of which just have this amazingly unmistakable Italian character and pair excellently with food. This was just as I had hoped for, rich and long on the palate with silky tannins, deep cherry and other red fruit flavours persisting in the mouth, with notes of pipe tobacco, oak, licorice, tea leaves, spice and this slightly bitter undertone that made you want to keep drinking. I enjoyed this massively with comfy sweats and a Japanese anime DVD, but you could also pair this with a hard cheese like Asiago or Parmigiano Reggiano and charcuterie. $17

Henry Fessy Saint-Amour AOC 2008

Here’s another yummy Beaujolais from one of the ten crus, Saint-Amour, which is up near the top of the cru “strip”. Slightly lighter in body and acidity than the Duboeuf version mentioned above, this showed more complexity with the minerals, flowers and fruit more intertwined, harder to pick out than the Beaujolais-Villages. This would be great with a simple herbed pork tenderloin or grilled chicken dish (skin on, bien sûr!) – my vegetarian pairing was macaroni with mushrooms, spinach and thyme in a tomato sauce, baked au gratin with a whole wheat Cheddar béchamel topping. $25

Macaroni in mushroom, spinach and tomato sauce, baked au gratin with whole wheat Cheddar bechamel.

That’s all I have to report for now – photos and stories from my Summer 2010 trips to the Okanagan coming soon!